Every day thousands of people get behind the wheel and race a high-performance Ford. All this happens thanks to video games and online, but who designs these high-performance cars? Some are production models or directly derived from the racing world, others are specifically designed for the virtual world and for the joy of the gamers.
The latest in this category is the P1 developed by Team Fordzilla. The design process began in March 2020, when gamers from around the world were asked to choose the main features of the car via the team’s Twitter channel, from the seating configuration to the position of the engine and the definition of the cockpit. Once the main points of interest were determined, Ford’s design team worked on the styling of the vehicle: the exterior was designed by Arturo Ariño, the interior by Robert Engelmann.
The racing car is built around a monocoque structure partially covered by a large, transparent, jet fighter-style canopy, which protects driver and co-pilot. The transparent canopy not only makes it difficult to see the boundaries between the exterior and interior, but also highlights the race car’s Formula 1-like driving position. P1 is the first Ford car to be built entirely digitally without any interaction between people during the entire process due to the current pandemic.
The design is the work of a team that has never met, has always worked remotely, and is spread across five different countries. The final model was built in just seven weeks, less than half the time it would normally take. “Pleasure and being human are always at the heart of our design philosophy. Is it amazing to look, sit and drive? Well, in the case of the Team Fordzilla P1, the answer to all these questions is a resounding yes”, says Amko Leenarts, Design director, Ford of Europe.
